What is your preference of drivetrain and tire for harsh winter driving?
Is AWD really the greatest?
Can RWD with good snow tires surpass?
Manual better than auto?
Discuss.
I have driven AWD w/ Auto, RWD w/ Auto, and FWD w/ 5 speed.
I like the AWD/Auto in my Jeep the best. It may slip a little if you overdo the throttle, but if you baby it, it will go anywhere. Very easy to keep control of, won’t get stuck.
The RWD/Auto (my dad’s Silverado 2WD), will go, but still has trouble making it up the driveway even if the bed is loaded. It is usable, but not the most reliable in the snow. Pretty good chance it will spin or get stuck. I have driven it dozens of times in the snow (before I got the Jeep) and it’s definitely tougher to keep control of.
The FWD/5 speed (mom’s Saab 9-3 2.0t 5 speed) is better than the RWD IMO, but it still has a good chance of getting stuck. It’s easier to keep control of than the pickup. It still has trouble getting up our driveway, but if you are soft enough with the clutch and the gas, it will pull you through the snow. It is a Swedish car after all.
Cliffs: I prefer my AWD Automatic. Don’t need to worry about a clutch, just push the gas and it’s taking you anywhere you need to go.
i hate FWD in the snow. absolutely hate it.
I drove 2 of my FBodies in the snow, it was a little hairy, but i made it.
FWD will get you going, but you cant turn for s%t. You’d have an easier time e-braking a RWD thru a turn, then turning with FWD.
as for AWD, i won’t take mine in the snow. I have driven it in the rain once, and it handled great.
again, weight over the drive tires is best.
its just too much work for the FWD tires to power, and turn in the snow.
rwd manual FTW, I like as much control as possible.
RWD is much more predictable and easier to control in a slide than FWD. FWD may go in a straight line a little better but once you start to slide it’s all over, and traction control makes RWD go every bit as FWD in a straight line in bad weather. I don’t have too much time on AWD in the snow, but my uncles Audi A4 sucked balls in the snow.
having the drive tires also be the turning tires is bad. FWD fucking blows for any type of driving, not just snow or bad weather.
AWD FTW…
My Jeep Liberty goes anywhere!
i would prefer a manual to an automatic in any situation, obviously the wrx is awd, and its great in the snow.
i dont think i’d want a rwd as a winter driver, but there was a time when most cars on the road were rwd and people still got where they needed to go. i think its more a matter of driver capability than anything else.
Automatic AWD was the best for me. I had a 94 Bravada with the AWD Smartrac system and it worked great. I could drive in any amount of snow on the roads any time and go up and down hills and around corners perfectly fine.
My RWD/Auto 03 Dakota was okay, but definitely needed a set of snow tires. It struggled at times, but was driveable.
Last winter I had a set of Blizzaks on my 06 Impala (FWD/Auto) and it went everywhere I asked it to. Slipped a little from time to time, not as good as the Bravada, but still was pretty respectable.
its more the tires than anything. without decent tires ur car is goin nowhere. with that said… i hardly ever have to put my blazer in 4wd.
How about four wheel drive?
plenty of people drive trucks in 2wd all winter long and get where they need to go…
I have driven the rwd Z in the snow, and it sucked big time. Then again, that was on stock tires that sucked as well. I know many ppl that slap snow tires on Z’s and drive them thru the winter w/ no problem. We put snow tires on the Audi in the winter and that thing will go ANYWHERE. Quattro ftw.
I do think that driver ability has a TON to do with it regardless of the drivetrain…
I prefer 4-or-AWD/Blizzaks/Winterforce. But if I have to do it without AWD/4WD and a decent tire, it’s FWD. I grew up driving FWD’s in snowy hilly terrain and I know how to make a FWD go better than a RWD when there’s a hill to climb. If it’s flat, give me RWD.
Also, RWD donuts rule.
all wheel drive!
I have an AWD torrent for company car, and a 4X4 xTerra, and have had two quattro A4 Audis.
The Audi, hands-down, not even close, is the best. I have no idea what 77rednecktruck was driving in his post above, but I personally have never been in a car where I felt as confident in snow as I would on dry road like in the Audi.
It will go anywhere and do anything when stock, but it sits so low now that it would just be a snow plow. My last A4 would just blow past people in the snow, including most any 4X4 out there. Without snow tires, too. I would have to turn off ESP and really fight the car to get it to break in the snow. Couldn’t do fun stuff like donuts…
I was only in his Audi a few times in the snow with him and it didn’t go too well. :dunno: Good for you that your Audi is good in the snow though.
Absolutely. You put a good driver in anything and they will do fine.
I grew up with FWD and a shift on the fly Durango. I can handle a FWD pretty well and with my new dunlops, I doubt I will have many problem. The stock Toyos on my 3 were okay once moving, but getting going was tricky sometimes.
The Durango would be tricky in 2WD going up a hill and I would have to swich to 4WD to get up hills and what not. Then again, I haven’t been trained on RWD as much and could probably do better if I only had a RWD to get around in…
My dad used to have a 1997 A4 2.8 quattro 5spd. One winter he had blizzaks, that thing was unbelievable, better than any Jeep I’ve ever driven, and I’ve driven quite a few in the snow with lots of different tires. (Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, CJ7)
All AWD systems are not equal, and tires make such a massive difference in the snow that it isn’t worth comparing vehicles that rock significantly different tires.
The Audi was ok with street tires, but with the blizzaks it was unstoppable, even when it was literally pushing snow.
My DSMs have always been ok in the snow (never had an auto tranny, all 3 have been 5spd AWD) but the AWD system is not even close to comparing with with Audis.
I grew up on RWD cars. I learned to drive in snow with a 69 Chevelle. Given a choice of what to roll in the winter, RWD would be my last choice. However, if i had to drive RWD, i would use snow tires.
My current car is a Caliber R/T AWD, and i have a set of Blizzak WS-50’s on order from the tirerack. I also have a forester with 4 magnagrip snows on it. I prefer 4wd automatics for getting around when the snow flies. A FWD with snow tires on it will actually do pretty well. Going up my driveway when it’s snow covered in anything other than 4WD is interesting.
I have always driven FWD in the snow with the exception of my wife’s Element. In highschool I had my choice between my mom’s 98 Windstar and my dad’s 95 Altima which I later inherited. Then I had a 98 Olds cutlass which was FWD and then a 93 Accord. I never have had any trouble with any of them. The van was difficult on hills because of the weight and the Olds was just a sucky car that had some trouble on our icey driveway, but I have never really lost control or gone into a bad slide with any of the cars. I must say though that the Element which is the AWD that only kicks in when the fronts slip is the best of all. Haven’t been stuck or had any traction issues even with the sub-par stock tires.
Fwd manual with skinny snow tires on it. My personal fav.